Wait…What?
by readingsloth
Summary: It's just another normal and peaceful morning in the palace, until Cinder and Kai get some pretty big news.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! This will be a two part story and hopefully I will be able to get the second half out by next Sunday, but school starts agin this week (Grrrr) so I will probably be kind of low on time. Thanks to all who read, reviewed, and favourited Gone, if you haven't read it, go check it out! Enjoy! **

Kai was waking up, his thoughts slowly coalescing from the random strange ways of dreams to bright clear memories. Engine grease. Cargo pants. And a special pair of deep brown eyes. He tightened his grip on the woman lying next to him and pulled her close. Bringing her back from the places she had visited in sleep. Bringing her from her nightmares of the battle with the old Queen Levana. Bringing her home.

He opened his eyes just in time to see her smile at him, love clear in her gaze, before she leaned further in and pressed her lips to his.

"Good morning." He mumbled, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Cinder looked like she was about to respong before her face filled with something like panic and she scrambled out of bed, making a mad dash to the bathroom.

Suddenly the sound of retching replaced the peaceful silence as Kain tried to figure out what was going on, his mind still sluggish from sleep.

"Cinder, you okay?" He questioned her as he hurriedly threw back the covers , rushing to join her in the bathroom. The look she gave him made it obvious that he was asking stupid questions and should probably be doing something else. She glared at him for a moment before her face turned a delicate shade of green and she turned back to the toilet, continuing to empty the contents of her stomach.

Kai's sleepy brain kicked into overdrive and he kneeled next to her as he kneeled next to her and held back her hair for the next round of dry heaving.

After a time period that was only around fifteen minutes, but felt like hours to both of them, Cinder slumped against Kai, her hair plastered to her forehead with sweat and her body trembling. He pressed gentle kisses to the top of her head and held her closer.

"What happened?" He wasn't sure he wanted to really know the answer, fearing the worst, but he couldn't stop himself from asking anyway. Cinder's response was even more troubling than he expected. She just shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you want anything to eat, or maybe drink?" Kai was growing more nervous by the second. In the two years they had been married he had never seen Cinder so sick.

"Maybe some tea?" Cinder's voice was timid and weak, portraying little about her true emotions. Kai acknowledged her request before pulling her into a standing position and leading her back to their bed. He tried to get her to lie down but she was adamant about staying upright. Lying down, she explained to a slightly miffed Kai, only made her nauseous, and soon he stopped pushing the matter.

The only time Kai left her side was to call Iko and ask her to bring up some tea. He usually would have used one of the numerous servants, but knew that Cinder would be much more comfortable with a friend. Their conversation was cut short, however, because even standing outside the master bedroom he could hear Cinder's quick return to the bathroom, and her vomiting into the toilet once more. By the time Kai made it back to her, though, Cinder had grabbed her toothbrush and was washing the sick out of her mouth, replacing the sharp acrid smell of barf with the minty fresh taste of her toothpaste.

Upon noticing Kai's panicked reflection in the mirror Cinder came to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his shoulder and pressing her cool metal hand to the small of his back. Her other hand reached up to curl around his neck and pull his face down so that she could press a delicate minty kiss to his cheek.

"I'm okay, Kai. I probably just ate some spoiled food." She reassured him. He nodded against her hair, although he was still nervous. His mind was filled with the images of his parents. Normal then sick, sick then dying, dying then dead. The stages of any epidemic. Vomiting was not a symptom of letumosis, he reminded himself, although his brain had no problem coming up with a list of diseases that it _was_ a symptom of.

"Either way, I'm taking you to the doctor." He knew that it was probably irrational, but everything inside of him was screaming at him to be cautious, and he wasn't about to disagree.

"No way Kai. You have that big meeting today, I have a call with Winter. We both have better things to be doing than spending our day sitting in a doctors office waiting to have them tell us that I drank spoiled milk." He started to protest, but she quickly interrupted him.

"You're the emperor of an entire country, you have more important things to do than take your sick wife to the doctor."

He rolled his eyes.

"You're the empress of an entire country. Nothing is more important than you.

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes.

Suddenly a knock on the bedroom door made the both jump. On her way to greet whoever was calling on them Cinder pulled a very old, frayed, gray hoodie on top of her pajamas. It made Kai smile. The person at the door turned out to be Iko, who had come back carrying the tea Cinder had requested. Kai left them to their conversation and went to go get changed. From his closet he could hear Cinder;s reassuring tone, no doubt trying to calm down Iko.

A minute later Kai heard the door shut and went to go join Cinder on the bed where she was curled into a ball, slowly sipping her tea. Before she could school her features he caught her expression of unease and nervousness, when she saw him, however, she brought her face back into a facade of calm, although she couldn't completely hide the panic festering in her synthetic eyes.

"I'm glad to see that you're dressed. You have to be leaving... as do I, actually." She added as she checked her portscreen. He glared at her for a second, realizing that she was going to be stubborn about getting checked out by a doctor. He also, begrudgingly, realized that she was right.

"Fine. I'll just take you to tonight." A smile crossed his face at his simple and foolproof solution. There was no way she could protest that.

"Really, I'm fine Kai. I don't need to go to the doctor." There was no way he was going to give in that easily.

"What's the harm in checking? If it's nothing then we know for sure that we don't need to worry, if it's _is_ something then you can receive medical attention." She acknowledged the the truth in his words with a small shake of her head and an eye roll, before setting her mug on the bedside table and heading to the closet to change.

**Reviews let me know that you liked the story and motivate me to write faster. I love this fandom and would LOVE any possible requests you might have! Thanks for reading!**

**readingsloth**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello lovely readers! Thank you all SO much for all the reviews, favourites, and follows, I appreciate the support more than you can possibly know! Most of you guessed what it was that Cinder was "afflicted" with, but I hope you will still enjoy reading the characters, hopefully accurate, reactions when they finally figure it out. Thanks and enjoy!**

The day was shaping up to be one of the worst days Kai had had in a _long _time. The stuff he had to do was boring and mindless, even his big meeting with the other Earthen rulers about oil supplies didn't do squat to distract him from the sheer panic the thought of Cinder being sick brought with it. He knew it was irrational, and that he was being overprotective and slightly pessimistic, but he didn't know what he would do without Cinder.

Nothing could draw his mind away from his morbid thoughts. As the meeting drew to a close, the powerful and intimidating leaders closing their computers and turning off their screens, he heard the president of the United States, a newly appointed young woman, mutter something about how lucky she was that her kids wouldn't take on her role like Kai's, and his brain spun off into even worse possibilities. What if he never got to hear the sounds of his childrens laughter ringing through the palace hall? What if something happened to Cinder and she wasn't able to give birth? He couldn't bring himself to even think the word "died".

Kai spent most of the rest of his day in his office where the pictures of his father, mother, and of Cinder worked to make him a little less lonely. Their smiling faces bringing a little piece to his troubled thoughts. He searched for Cinder, too, but he was told that she was out in the city somewhere, or in a meeting with Winter and shouldn't be interrupted.

This was how Thorne found him, wandering the hallways, looking for something to occupy and distract him. Him and Cress were currently staying with him and Cinder before heading to France to spend some time with Scarlet, Wolf, and their new little girl. Kai didn't really mind, he had gotten over any dislike for the "reformed" criminal years ago, and they had grown into a slightly awkward resemblance of friendship. Cinder called it great progress, but Kai denied it and changed the topic.

"Hey Thorne. You haven't seen Cinder have you?" His voice was downcast and dismayed.

"Yeah, last time I checked she was heading down for dinner like the rest of us." Kai felt his voice twist into an expression of confusion, and hastily checked his watch. 5:30. Thorne was right, it w_as_ dinner time.

"Lost track of time, your royal Highness?" Thorne was chuckling at Kai's baffled expression. It was true. Kai had been so caught up in worrying that he hadn't noticed as the hours dragged by.

He started to move in the direction of the dining room, he wasn't really hungry, but he figured that was where everyone would be, and so that was the place he would most likely find the reason for his nervous state.

* * *

Dinner was not a quiet affair, it never was, but tonight instead it seemed especially rowdy. Cinder seemed to have returned almost to full health, but Kai could tell that, although she argued with Thorne and chatted with him and Cress, she was still feeling miserable. It was obvious in the slight twinge of pain in her eyes, or the way she slowly picked at her food. This was all the evidence Kai needed. He quickly excused himself and stood, pulling Cinder up to stand beside him. In an attempt to explain his actions in a way that wouldn't betray what was really going on, Kai made up some story about him and Cinder needing to go to some important meeting. He wasn't even completely sure what he said, but it must not have been very good because he heard Thorne mutter something that turned Cress's cheeks red and caused Iko to snort in an attempt to keep in her laughter.

Soon the couple were alone in the hallway.

"What the heck, Kai?" Were the first words out of Cinder's mouth as she turned to gape at him. He chose not to answer, instead grabbing her by the arm and pulling her along with him until they were standing outside the door to the elevator. It was only after she saw Kai press the button for the second floor that Cinder had any idea what was going on.

"No way. You are not taking me to the doctor. I'm fine Kai. I promise." He knew she had a fear of the medical field in general, after the war, but this was getting ridiculous.

"You are sick. You need to be checked out. Give me one good reason to not take you." He was just trying to seem less demanding. Their wasn't a single thing she could say that would make him change his mind.

"I feel fine. What other reason do you need?" All Kai did was roll his eyes.

They arrived at the door to the medical wing, now used mostly for various doctors offices or labs for whatever world problem the scientists were trying to solve today. After the Lunars had handed over the cure for Letumosis the section had almost been shut down, but Kai had requested that it remain open and that one of the doctors stay on to attend to anyone in the palace that might be in need of medical attention. It was a decision he had never really appreciated until today.

When the receptionist android scanned Kai's and Cinder's recently installed ID chips, and computed that it was the Emperor who requested entry, she opened the doors immediately and pointed them towards an empty office.

The room was cold and white, devoid of any real color except for the bed lying in the middle, which was a pale blue. The MedBot came in to ask Cinder a few questions and take her heart rate and temperature, before it requested that Kai leave the room so that the doctor could perform the physical examination.

"But I'm her husband!" He exclaimed in protest as he was literally pushed out the door.

"Don't make a fuss Kai, it won't be anything, you'll see." He was reluctant to take her word, but soon found that he had no real choice, and resigned himself to sit in the waiting room.

He tried to focus on the magazine he had picked up, but it was in vain. His eyes wouldn't stop seeking out the door in an effort to find out what was going on. Luckily for his nerves it didn't take long for the doctor to step out of the room and call his name, gesturing for him to come closer.

He walked in to see everything as he had left it, except now Cinder was sitting on the bed, and he took up a chair next to her.

"I am pleased to say that you are quite healthy, your Majesty." Cinder turned to look at Kai with a smirk, but he wasn't done.

"Completely healthy? Then why was she so sick this morning?"

"I believe her symptoms can be explained by the fact that her Majesty is pregnant."

"Wait...What?!" Kai heard Cinder exclaim even as his own mouth fell open in shock. His emotions were spinning out of control, a mix of pure joy, terror, and love that he had never experienced before. Him, a father. Kai was going to be a father.

He couldn't say anything that would adequately describe his feelings in that moment, so he turned instead and wrapped his arms around his wife, kissing her deeply. They pulled apart only when they heard the doctor clear her throat, and they both sat there staring at each other as she went into more detail. A look of wonder clear in both of their eyes.

**Alright, well not quite what I originally set out to write, but I think I'm happy with it. I do have a few questions for you though, first being if I should continue the story. I have a few scenes I'm considering, but I'm not sure. If so, what gender should the baby be? What should it's name be? What scenes might you like to see? Let me know in a review! Thanks for reading!**

**readingsloth**

**Oh, also, I'm considering looking for a Beta Reader, if you might be interested let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello lovely readers! Here is just something short and sweet because I am completely out of inspiration to write a longer chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you SO much to my beta reader Beckah for her amazing work on this chapter, go check out her awesome stories over at archiveofourown . org!**

Of course they all were ecstatic to hear Cinder and Kai's news, not that either of them had expected different, but it was nice to hear their reassurances all the same. Thorne cracked jokes and hugged them both, a gesture that made Kai more than slightly uncomfortable; Scarlet gave Cinder a knowing look and asked about her morning sickness as she hoisted her own daughter a little higher on her lap; Cress, Iko, and Winter had all squealed in joy, running around with excitement.

Overall it had been a long day. Good, but long.

Even though she had been looking forward to telling everyone since the day they had found out, almost three months ago, Cinder was exhausted. The pregnancy had drained her of all of her normal energy and made it so that even the most mundane tasks became monumentally difficult and taxing. The doctors had told her it was nothing to worry about, just a normal part of the ordeal, but both her and Kai were becoming more and more worried. Scarlet hadn't been this bad when she had been pregnant with Amelia, at least not that the royal couple could recall, and since that was Cinder's only real life experience with the entire ordeal she found it hard to remember to stop comparing the two situations, like Kai kept reminding her.

She was starting to show too, not so much that her clothes weren't fitting, which was a huge relief, but enough that if she wore something tight the small bump became more obvious. She supposed it was lucky she didn't own many tight things.

She considered this as she pulled on her pajama pants that night and wondered when she would have to buy a new maternity pair. That was not a trip she was looking forward to.

Right now the only people that knew about the baby were her, Kai, their doctors, and now their friends. The news had yet to be released to the public, but she knew that as the pregnancy progressed it would grow impossible for her to hide it.

When she had first married Kai, Cinder had refused to be kept locked up inside just because she was royalty, and instead had made use of her glamour to keep the photographers and journalists from surrounding her wherever she went. She supposed she could do something similar now, but she wasn't sure she would have the energy to maintain it for a long period of time, besides, the world would have to find out eventually. Even if they managed to keep the pregnancy secret, it would be really hard to hide an entire baby.

It was these thoughts that led her to go seek out her husband in his office at ten o'clock at night, pajamas and all.

"What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be in bed?" He immediately set down the large stack of papers he had been combing through and looked up at her with a concerned expression.

"We need to talk." These were words that never failed to strike fear in Kai's heart, and so he instantly gestured for her to sit down in the chair opposite his desk, nervousness as to what she might tell him twisting his stomach.

"I think we should tell everybody." She didn't hesitate to get to the point, not wanting to keep Kai waiting.

"Isn't that what we just did?" He exhaled in slight relief, slumping back into his chair.

"No, I mean tell the world. Let everybody know that there's going to be a new heir to the throne."

"Are you serious?" She gave a brusque nod.

"Are you sure you're ready for that? Are you sure _we're_ ready for something like that?"

She spent a moment thinking about that, really thinking about it. It would mean that they would be flocked to and annoyed even more than usual, and that they would be setting up their kid for a lifetime of avoiding the paparazzi and press, but did they really have a choice? This was the problem with being royalty, no matter what they did they would never be able to completely shield their child from his or her position in the world, the best thing they could do would be to tell the public early on in the hopes that by the time the baby came they would have moved on to other subjects of gossip.

"I think so, I mean we can't hide it forever, no matter what happens they're going to find out eventually. How do you want to break the news to them?"

He looked at her warily, evaluating the truth in her statement. He hated the fact that his son or daughter would be submitted to the same treatment he had been given as a child, but that was the nature of who they were. She was right, they couldn't hide it forever.

"Alright, I can let the world leaders know during our next meeting, from there it won't be long until it filters down and everyone knows."

They were quiet for a few minutes, contemplating what the next few weeks would bring when suddenly Kai spoke up, his voice worried and shy despite being hidden under the mask of wry humor.

"I bet it's times like these that you regret marrying me." Cinder gave him a small smile before coming around the table and getting pulled to sit in his lap.

"Never.", She whispered honestly into his ear, kissing him gently on the cheek.

He paused for a minute before his face broke into a grin and he stared her right in the eyes.

"Just to be clear, you're not using your mind powers on me right now, are you?" She grins back and repeats the familiar words without hesitation.

"Of course not."

"Just checking." Then he leans forward and catches her lips in a sweet kiss, one hand cradling her face, the other molding itself to the slight swell in her belly.

He's the first to pull away, but only to hold her a little closer and whisper into her hair "I love you"

Suddenly she's sure. They might not be completely prepared for what's about to hit them, but as long as she has him to lean back on, they'll be just fine.

**I hope you all enjoyed that little bit of fluff. Thank you to all those who reviewed, favourited, and followed, it means the world to me. Keep sending in votes for names, genders, and ideas. I love to hear them! Thanks! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello all! Thank you to everybody who read, favourited, followed, and reviewed. I loved the feedback! A big thanks to my beta reader, Beckah for her wonderful feedback! Enjoy!**

"Cinder? Cinder!" Kai had been searching for over an hour now, but to no avail, his wife was nowhere to be found. He passed a few escort droids in the hallway, but one caught his attention. It was Iko. Her neon blue hair made her visible for miles and Kai had no problem spotting her.

"Iko, have you seen Cinder?" It was times like this that he cursed the fact that the palace was so big.

"Last time I saw her she was heading in the direction of the garage." That could only mean one thing. Kai had done his best to discourage Cinder to continue working as a mechanic, especially now that she was pregnant, but as she had explained to him multiple times, fixing things was what she did. It was one of her favorite things in the world.

Despite his complaints and concerns for her safety, she still came into dinner sometimes with grease on her nose, soot on her hands, and a grin on her face that could only mean one thing. He had yet to stumble across her actually in the act of fixing one of the multiple broken hovers, but he knew it was only a matter of time. She seemed to enjoy destroying them almost as much as she did fixing them.

"Cinder!" He called once again, a little more hopeful now that he was approaching her favorite place in the palace. Kai usually would have just left her alone and trusted her enough to come find him when she wanted too, but tonight was the night of the ball, the same ball where Kai had first discovered Cinder's big secret, almost seven years ago. He was already dressed up in his nicest clothes, but he knew that if he found Cinder where he thought he would they would definitely be late on account of her needing to panic, shower, then change. In that order.

The garage, although it _was _a garage, was still nicer than most people's houses with tile floor, climate control, big windows with a great view, and all the tools anyone could possibly use. Kai had yet to understand these additions. What would a hover gain from being able to see outside? And since when had anybody in the palace been willing to risk getting oil all over their fancy clothes? Well, besides, Cinder. Still, he supposed that since his wife seemed to spend quite a bit of time here he should be grateful that his ancestors had had _way_ too much money.

He opened the door to Cinder's work area and the natural light made it too easy for him to see a long pair of cargo clad legs sticking out from under one of the hovers.

"Cinder!" He called pointlessly, just to see what her reaction would be when she saw that he had caught her. He was not to be disappointed. She let out a small yelp and made to get up, but since she was still under the hover he just heard the dull clang of her head hitting the metal plating. He started over to her to make sure she wasn't seriously hurt, but when Kai saw Cinder's expression he had to throw his hands over his mouth to stop himself from laughing. She rolled her eyes and it wasn't till he had given in and was bent over with laughter, unable to breath, that she cleared her throat and stuck out her hand, reluctantly asking him for help getting up.

She wasn't that big, on any account, but she was starting to find it hard to move freely, and Kai knew it was driving her crazy.

"Thanks for all your support," she stated in a dry tone. Cinder knew he didn't mean any harm and that if she had been seriously hurt he would have been a lot more concerned, but that didn't stop it from being annoying.

She paused for a minute when she saw what he was wearing.

"Why are you dressed so... Oh stars! Was that tonight?! What time is it?!" Kai could already see her brain starting to short circuit in panic, but he wasn't worried. Before he had met Cinder this situation would have driven him insane, but now it was just funny. He had learned that it was stupid to get so worked up about the little things. Who cared if they were a twenty minutes late to their own ball? Still, he knew that she worried about these things, and worried about them annoying Kai, so he reached out and pulled her into a hug, grinning into her hair as she hesitantly melted against him.

It didn't last nearly as long as Kai had hoped because soon she seemed to remember the predicament and had pulled away rushing to get ready to go.

It was only about fifteen minutes until the next time he saw her, already wearing the simple silver gown that had been designed for her to wear just to this occasion. Kai knew that Cinder wasn't wild about dresses in general, especially not wearing them in public, but he didn't disagree. The fabric hugged her curves, much more pronounced now that she was about six months along, and woke parts of him that were definitely not appropriate for the moment.

"You look beautiful," he whispered and she flashed him a quick and grateful grin.

"How's your head?" The grin fell off her face, only remaining in the small pinch in the corners of her eyes, and the slight upward tilt of her lips. She was attempting to put on her best poker face, but Kai knew her better than that.

"Great, no thanks to you." Her voice was sarcastic and exasperated, the tone she often held when confronting him.

"Are you ready to go?" She was practically pulling him towards their bedroom door. Kai knew that she hated to be late, it brought up bad memories of her first time walking into a crowded ballroom, and he wasn't about to complain. He didn't like drawing unnecessary attention to himself either.

They walked through the long hallways of the palace in the direction of the hover that Kai knew was waiting outside for them. On their way they picked up Iko and Winter, a reluctant and annoyed looking Jacin clinging to the latter's arm. Both girls were looking stunning in gowns meant to represent their position of power, Queen of Luna, and best friend of the empress, thank you very much.

**Please review and let me know what you thought. It takes less than a minute and it really makes my day! By the way, does anybody have any good songs for Kainder? I'm having trouble finding some. Also, if anyone knows of any good Tenrose fanfic PLEASE let me know. Thanks!**

**readingsloth**


	5. Chapter 5

***Covers head with hands and cowers in corner* Please don't kill me! I am SO sorry this took so long to get out, it's been a really crazy last few weeks! I should warn you that this hasn't been beta read yet, so forgive any mistakes. I just wanted to make sure that it got out before I lost all my followers. **

**readingsloth**

**P.S. Thanks to that one guest reviewer who went under Impatient Coral and left me a not so subtle reminder to update. It not only made me crack up, but it inspired me to write faster. Hope this was worth the wait! ;) **

Cinder was _not_ excited for tomorrow. Even though they had already alerted the other earthen leaders as to Cinder's "condition" Cinder and Kai's advisors has thought it would be wise for Kai to mention it in his next speech. Tomorrow he was addressing the Eastern Commonwealth to discuss Earth's continuing relationships with Luna, and the Emperor and Empress had decided that it was as good a time as any to slip it in.

Cinder knew all this, had reviewed the logistics and spent hours thinking about it, but still she was worried. This would be the end of peaceful walks through the garden and being able to watch the news without seeing her own face. This would be the beginning of an era filled with reporters and gossip. A time when half the country would be disgusted that their beloved leader was having children with a cyborg, and the other half would be disappointed that Kai was _definitely _off the market. They'd have to up their guard and she would have to practice keeping herself glamoured while pregnant, something she had yet to actually attempt. Still, she supposed it was better to just get this over with quickly so that it would stop looming over their heads.

It was harder to convince herself of this, however, as she sat in their bedroom the next day and watched as Kai climbed the steps to the stage. Usually she would have been there with him, but not now, not after he made this particular announcement. She felt the baby give a slight kick, as if it picked up on her nervousness, and she moved into a more comfortable position. Kai was approaching the microphone, and Cinder felt she could hardly breath. She watched as her husband went through his normal speech and routine, mentioning the continuing cooperation with their Lunar companions and feeding the citizens numbers as to how many people had now accepted the new Letumosis vaccine. It wasn't until the very end where he paused for a minute and Cinder started to hold her breath. This was it.

His voice was steady and held the same intonation as it had just a minute ago. The only difference was that Kai stood a bit taller, his eyes held a strong spark of determination. But Cinder wasn't sure that anyone who knew him less than she did would have picked up on it.

"The palace has recently found out some very wonderful news. The Empress is pregnant. I hope that you will all join us in rejoicing and welcoming the new heir." That was all. He turned and left the stage, ignoring the shocked expressions of the reporters and the rising volume of both protests and shouts of congratulations.

Cinder took a deep breath.

_And it begins._

...

Scarlet was curled against Wolf, almost asleep on the couch, when the news finally showed in France. They had sat down to watch this specific announcement, but now that it was here, Scarlet was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. If Cinder thought being pregnant was exhausting, she couldn't wait to see what she would be like when the kid actually came out.

"Scar...?" Wolfs voice was quiet and accompanied by a small nudge. She groaned and shut her eyes once more, trying to remember why it was so important that they watched this. I mean, they already knew.

"Come on, Scarlet. We promised them that we would. You know how big of a deal this is to them." It wasn't that Wolf didn't like snuggling with her, but he was also smart enough to realize that if he let her fall asleep she would _kill_ him when she woke up.

Scarlet reluctantly pulled herself away from Wolf and into a sitting position, struggling to keep her eyes open. They watched as Kai crossed the platform and took the mic., and Scarlet almost fell asleep again while he spoke about interplanetary relations. She was close friends with both the Queen of Luna and the Empress of the Eastern Commonwealth,there was nothing Kai was revealing that she didn't already know.

The Emperor of the Commonwealth was almost thirty years old, but was looking no worse for wear, the opposite actually. He looked happier than he had when they had first met, a response to spending so much time around the woman he loved, Scarlet was convinced. He hadn't changed much since his teens, his features had lengthened a bit, and his hair was a bit shorter than it had been originally, but he was still as handsome as ever. Scarlet was sure that, although he was married, and expecting a child, teenage girls from all over the world were still swooning over the dreamy Emperor.

After the Lunar Revolution, as people were calling it, Scarlet had been offered a position working for both Cinder and Winter, but she had wanted to return to the farm, and Wolf had been all too happy to oblige. Then Amelia had been born, and, well, she didn't really have time for a job anymore. If Cinder thought being pregnant was exhausting, Scarlet couldn't wait to think of how she would feel when the baby was finally born. Still, her friends kept her in the loop, telling her everything they could, and, often times, things they shouldn't.

Wolf had to nudge her awake at the end of the speech so that she would catch the small announcement that Kai made, and a small announcement it was. Although neither Wolf nor Scarlet had been expecting a large ordeal, they were still surprised when he seemed to regard the news as little more than a passing thought.

"Huh. He makes it sounds like the fact that he's about to be a father is as simple and common as the daily weather forecast." Scarlet had know Kai for quite a while, had seen love and pure joy light his eyes whenever Cinders pregnancy was mentioned, so it was kind of hard to match that to the man she was watching on the screen.

"I disagree." Was Wolf's reaction to her previous comment. "Look at the audience." He gestured to the TV where Scarlet could see a growing number of angry and affronted faces. "A lot of them will see the fact that their dashing Emperor is going to have kids with a cyborg as repulsive and shocking. To a lot of them it would be like mating with a pig." Scarlet nodded her head at this. It didn't surprise her. Although cyborg discrimination was decreasing, and they were no longer openly segregated against, there were still tons of people who weren't wild about the idea cyborg equality.

The couple stared at the television for a while longer, watching the people grow increasingly restless before Scarlet turned it off.

"Do you think we could just sleep on the couch? I don't want to move..." She was only partly kidding, she was pretty sure her legs had turned to jelly.

"Ugh, no. If we do that we're going to be really sore in the morning." Although Wolf had turned her down, she could sense that he wasn't really in the mood for climbing a flight of stairs either. She had just made up her mind to lie down on top of him and go to sleep when a cry came from Amelia's room, and they both gave a loud groan, they had to get up now.

**Would you guys like it if I had a regular posting schedule? I was thinking that if I can get ten reviews for every new chapter I'll do my absolute best to post once a week. Is there a day that you guys would like new chapters? Thanks, let me know in reviews!**

**readingsloth**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'M SO SORRY. This was supposed to be posted a LONG time ago, but life got in the way of writing... I promise I'll do my best to post sooner next time... Thanks to all you lovely wonderful people who reviewed, favourited, and followed. It means more than the world to me. Also a HUGE thanks to Beckah who beta reads these chapters so that you guys don't have to slug through typos and messiness. **

**For all you Doctor Who fans, check out one of my other stories, a collab with the brilliant the~not~so~bad~wolf, Rifts! **

**Is there anybody who might want to make a custom cover for this story? I am HORRIBLE at both computer generated art and drawing, so I was hoping that someone with more talent might be willing to give it a try? The cover I pick will get a shoutout for the next five chapters, along with my eternal love and appreciation. Thanks! **

**readingsloth**

**P.S. Sorry about the ending...! ;) *Evil maniacal laughter***

As far as Kai could tell, the citizens of the Eastern Commonwealth were taking the big news that Cinder and Kai had released almost two weeks ago just like the Emperor would have expected. As with most issues involving the royal family, some people fell in the middle of the scale, hovering around shocked disbelief, but there were the few who seemed to feel very strongly on the matter. According to palace security the number of death threats had reached an all time high, although Kai had been advised not to worry about it. Still, there were times when he really didn't like his people.

Cinder had been relatively calm about it, surprisingly enough. With a slight shrug of her shoulders she had dismissed the issue, reminding him that they had always received hate, and that they were well guarded. He was glad that she wasn't having one of her classic Cinder freakouts; he didn't know what he would have done to reassure her.

The weeks went by, Cinder growing larger, and everyone started to relax. It had been almost a month, and since there had been no incident the palace lowered its guard, convinced that they had avoided the worst possibility.

...

It was a Saturday afternoon, and Cinder was panicking. The ship to Luna was leaving in less than a week, and she still had no idea what she was going to bring, or how she was going to manage to take care of all the things she needed to finish before leaving. It wasn't her first trip away, she took them every three months or so, but that never seemed to stop her from freaking out.

There was just so much to do. Cinder pulled down a 'To Do' list in her brain.

Finish arranging all the plans so that the week she spent on Luna wasn't complete chaos

Pack

Hold a meeting with the other world leaders to make sure that she did her best to accomplish all their wishes

Go to the doctor to make sure she and the baby were both healthy enough to leave earth

Talk to her traveling companion, Cress, to make sure that she had all her bases covered

As she stared at the long list, Cinder felt herself getting stressed out just thinking about it.

The reason that nothing had gotten done yet was because she was suffering from a serious case of lack of motivation. Before she had gotten pregnant she had never put things off, a work ethic branded on her from her time working for her stepmother, but now that she was carrying a child she had lost both her energy and her desire to get stuff done. This was the main reason that when Kai came in she was just lounging in bed.

"Cinder? Shouldn't you be preparing for your trip to Luna?" She groaned at the reminder. He couldn't even really help her. She was going on this trip alone because her husband had to stay home so that he could sign an important deal that they expected to come to the table about cyborg rights. Cinder was so jealous.

"Yeah. I just sat down for a minute to think, and, well, I didn't get back up."

"I can see that." He lay down next to her, not even caring that he was wrinkling a rather expensive suit. Kai had just come from another press conference. The royal couple was working harder than ever to end cyborg discrimination in the Eastern Commonwealth, but that meant a lot of speeches and meetings.

He let out a breath as every muscle in his body relaxed against the mattress, and he reached out to place a hand on the bump that was much more pronounced now that Cinder was almost seven months along. He felt the child kick, and it sent shivers up his spine, filling him with the same wonder he had experienced on only a few occasions before. Movies when he had been young, sitting with both his parents, not a care in the world. His first meeting with the pretty mechanic. The first time he had kissed Cinder, aboard the Rampion. Seeing her walk down the aisle. When he had learned he was going to be a father. It was feeling that he was completely surrounded by love. A strong joy that he was alive and in this moment.

She snuggled a little closer, pulling herself against his body for a minute before she reluctantly kissed him and rolled away, climbing off the bed and walking towards the door to attempt to accomplish some of her to do list.

...

It didn't matter that he had been to dozens of these things by now, or that everything indicated that the baby was healthy, he went to every single one of Cinder's doctors appointments, and got nervous every single time. This one was no exception.

Kai was just glad they didn't have to wait around to be called in, one of the perks of being royalty he supposed. The two entered the large room and immediately took the appropriate positions, Cinder lying on the bed, Kai on the tips of his toes next to her.

Cinder knew that her husband was anxious, but she wasn't really surprised, especially since she was feeling the same. It had been the same since the first time they had heard the doctor explain that it was possible for the health of the baby to change during any time in the pregnancy. At first she had been hopeful that, just like it did for her, the port screen in her brain would give her updates on the health of their child, but she had disappointed. Although the scientists that had changed her had been considerate to leave her reproductive system intact, they hadn't thought far enough ahead to program her with the ability to be her own OB/GYN.

The doctor finally came in, and Cinder gripped Kai's hand a little tighter, shuddering as the doctor poked and prodded her belly. He pulled out the gel used to do an ultrasound, and Cinder suddenly became excited, noticing how Kai's eyes lit up with anticipation. They both loved seeing the video of their unborn child, clear and in full color, the ultrasound had come quite a way since it had first been introduced, but it wasn't just that. Even though most couples were able to find out the sex of their baby at around five months, the fetus had never been in the right position for them to tell, much to Cinder's frustration. At first Kai had been against knowing, but Cinder had been quick to remind him of the many advantages to finding out.

The doctor spent a minute looking at various aspects of the picture before showing it to the expectant parents. He didn't even need to be prompted to explain to them that, yes, it was possible to identify what gender their first born would be. Both Cinder and Kai nodded, encouraging him to continue.

...

After four days filled with stress and panic, rushing and cramming, the morning Cinder and Cress were supposed to leave dawned bright and early.

Thorne and Cress had flown in from America where they had been visiting some of Thorne's old friends. They had yet to really settle down, spending months in various countries with various people. Cinder figured they would end their nomadic lifestyle once they got married, but for the time being they seemed to be enjoying being young in a way that Cinder and Kai hadn't gotten too, and Scarlet hadn't wanted too.

The plan was for Thorne to stick around and keep Kai company for the week where Cress and Cinder would be on Luna, and then he and Cress would head to Australia to explore for a while before coming back for the birth. Even though Cinder was close to Scarlet, Cress, and Winter, Thorne was still her best friend, outside of Kai, and she wanted him around.

Both couples stood on the platform, waiting for the ship, chatting amongst themselves. Cress had just hugged Kai and was approaching Thorne to kiss him goodbye when she heard something that turned her blood cold. A gunshot rang out, followed by another, and another. Shattering the chilly morning air.

After four days filled with stress and panic, rushing and cramming, the morning Cinder and Cress were supposed to leave dawned bright and early.

Thorne and Cress had flown in from America where they had been visiting some of Thorne's old friends. They had yet to really settle down, spending months in various countries with various people. Cinder figured they would end their nomadic lifestyle once they got married, but for the time being they seemed to be enjoying being young in a way that Cinder and Kai hadn't gotten too, and Scarlet hadn't wanted too.

The plan was for Thorne to stick around and keep Kai company for the week where Cress and Cinder would be on Luna, and then he and Cress would head to Australia to explore for a while before coming back for the birth. Even though Cinder was close to Scarlet, Cress, and Winter, Thorne was still her best friend, outside of Kai, and she wanted him around.

Both couples stood on the platform, waiting for the ship, chatting amongst themselves. Cress had just hugged Kai and was approaching Thorne to kiss him goodbye when she heard something that turned her blood cold. A gunshot rang out, followed by another, and another. Shattering the chilly morning air.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello lovely readers! I am SO sorry this took so long, especially after the last cliff hanger. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and a HUGE thanks to my wonderful beta, Beckah, for all her hard work. Thanks! **

**readingsloth**

Everyone hit the ground in a panic as the shots rand out, the guards doing their best to block Cinder, Kai, Cress, and Thorne from being hit. After what felt like hours, but was in reality merely minutes, the shooting stopped and the world started to move again. It took only a fearful second of silence for security to shift from defense to offense and go after the attacker.

For just a moment it seemed like everything was going to be okay.

Cress had already checked with quick fearful glances up and down the Captains body to ensure that he was alright, and vice versa. They were all still crouched down, still taking heaving breaths, the adrenaline making them shake, when Cress noticed in her peripheral vision Kai lunging towards Cinder. He caught just before she would have hit the ground, pulling her tight against him so that her head lulled on his shoulder. The feeling of her breath against his neck reassured him that, while she was unconscious, she was still alive. Kai moved slightly to reposition her, so that he would be able to see her face, when Cress caught sight of one of his hands.

She screamed.

Both Kai and Thorne looked at her with concern etched in their features, and she shakily gestured to Kai's fingers.

...

With terror coursing through his veins, Kai moved his eyes downward until they fell upon the offending limb, continuing to keep a tight hold on his wife.

It was covered in blood.

In a split second his mind was going into overdrive, self preservation instincts kicking in, all in response to the sticky warm substance that coated his hand. He had already checked himself for pain and injury, so that meant...

Kai frantically lowered Cinder to the ground and started yelling for a doctor. It wasn't obvious at first where the blood was coming from, and while he gently ran his hands over her, he started to panic that the bullet might have hit her in a vital place, and that he might lose both Cinder and the baby she carried. His relief when he noticed that the blood was flowing freely from her shoulder was almost palpable. While he knew this event would haunt his nightmares forever, he was inexplicably relieved that this was an injury she could recover from. That was all shattered when Thorne opened his mouth.

The Captain had been almost as frightened as Kai when he saw that his best friend had been hit, and after assuring that Cress would run to get help, he crouched down next to her and Kai to help in whatever ways he could.

"If it's just a hit to the shoulder then why did she pass out? She's pretty resistant to pain, and her cybernetics didn't shut her down in other, equally stressful, situations. Maybe it hit a big artery. Maybe she's suffering from blood loss..." He was just muttering to himself, really, trying to figure out exactly what the problem was so that he knew exactly how to solve it, but Kai realized he was right. It was lucky that Cress and the doctor arrived at just that moment.

After that everything was a flurry of activity. Doctors and the like swarming on the scene, arguments about where to take Cinder, security trying to hold off onlookers... Suddenly Kai found himself pacing around an empty waiting room, trying not to panic. They had taken Cinder in almost immediately, worried about a more serious problem and the large amounts of blood she was losing, much more (he overheard one of them say) than was usual for an injury in that part of the body.

He wasn't sure how much time passed, but he know that it didn't take long before Iko arrived at the hospital, in a similar state to Kai. Thorne and Cress had been chased down by the police to answer questions about the attack, but nobody bothered the Emperor.

Finally, right after Kai had resigned himself to join Iko in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs, the doctor came out to update them both, and they shot to their feet, their faces painted with worry.

"How...how is she?" It was Iko who asked, Kai didn't want to open his mouth, for the fear of getting a response that would destroy him.

"Why don't we sit down?" The doctor, Dr. Yin, had a calm and quiet voice, and he gestured for them to take a seat.

"She is alive and stable, as is the baby. The reason we believe she fell unconscious was that, being pregnant, her pre-programed control panel decided that the situation was too stressful for her body, so it knocked her out, although we were able to revive her with a few simple steps."

Kai breathed a sigh of relief. She was okay. The baby was okay. Everything was going to be okay.

"However, the reason that there was so much blood loss is that the shot severed several of her major blood vessels and nerves. We were able to repair the arteries, but we were required to replace the damaged nerve with prosthetics to save the arm."

"Wait, prosthetic? You mean that her other arm is cyborg now too?" Kai's voice was high and panicky. It wasn't that he really cared, but he knew that Cinder would hate it.

"No, Emperor. You misunderstood. While most of the nerve endings in her upper arm and shoulder are now cyborg, the arm still appears the same and will function like it did before the surgery. There will be no way to tell that anything in it is fake."

This time it was Iko that spoke up. "Can we go see her?"

Dr. Yin nodded and led them down a series of hallways to Cinder's room.

It was only when the doctor left, and Kai caught sight of his wife lying in that bed, still asleep after the surgery, that the memories overtook him.

A similar bed in a similar room. Another Empress. A different disease. The images of his mother lying in a hospital, covered in the same sort of gown that now adorned Cinder, led to his father, dying. He remembered the grief that he had felt when they had both passed and he had realized that he was alone, and once again it threatened to swallow him, but he choked it down and entered the room.

Iko wasn't sure how long they sat with Cinder, but soon it came to her that the rest of the gang would have seen what had happened to her, and would be worried. She should call them and fill them in. The android quickly explained herself to the man sitting next to her before hopping up, giving Cinder a kiss on the forehead, and walking out the door, leaving the couple to be alone.

**See? Everything is okay! I would ****_never_**** do anything to seriously damage any of our favorite characters, which reminds me to remind you that I don't own any of these characters, they are Marissa Meyers. Please take just a minute to let me know what you thought of this chapter, or what you might want to happen in future ones. Thanks! **

**readingsloth**


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